Pragmata Review

Capcom appear to be smashing it out of the park when it comes to their consistent quality of titles in recent years. They are probably best known for the Resident Evil series. I do like it when they take a risk and venture into new IP’s. Exoprimal probably being the most recent dip into something totally new. Sci-fi adventure Pragmata is a fresh outing for the team and I’ve had my beady eyes on this one since playing the demo. It’s now available on Xbox Series X/S alongside other platforms, and it is one you won’t want to miss.

A Sci-Fi Adventure With Clever Combat

Pragmata follows Hugh Williams who is sent to investigate a lunar research station. Once a bustling hive of human activity has now fallen eerily silent full of mystery and automation. Known as The Cradle, communication as gone dark and it isn’t long before we encounter Diana. She is an anroid who mimics the personality and attitude of a young child. Diana is fearless due to her childlike nature and possesses hacking abilities that assist Hugh in navigating combat, pathways and more.

Gameplay is from a third-person perspective that is a nice blend of movement, hacking mechanics and shooting. Hugh can’t break down enemies with weapon power alone, this is where Diana comes in handy. Hacking requires a process of solving quick snappy puzzles and then going in for the attack. Its a clever mechanic that constantly has you considering your position within the environment, your movement and what weaponry to use. Admittedly it took me several firefights to get the hang of becoming fast and nimble with hacking. But once you understand the methodoly it becomes easier. As you progress you’ll unlock modifiers that will allow for stronger attacks, chain attacks and more alongside different weapons. Each area has hidden objects and defeating enemies allows you to purchase upgrades between levels.

A Broken Facility Filled With Corrupt Robots

Enemies in Pragmata are all malfunctioned AI machines. Originally built to manage the lunar station, they now turn on you as you navigate the environment. A mixture of mannequin like robots, drones and huge mechanical beasts will be on your case. It becomes a bit hectic when you have a mixture of robots, drones and spider like bots all swarming towards you. This is where you get to learn your movement pacing, weak spots and how to hack them efficiently. Healing ability is scarce so you need to strategise and be wise with when you need that boost of health. If you’re anything like me then you’ll die on several occasions.

A Visual Treat

Pragmata is a visual treat and whilst there are some frame dips in the more chaotic moments, they are barely noticable. The game renders at 1080p with 4k upscaling. Quality mode pushes the game as hard as it can whilst still attempting to hit that sweet spot of 60fps. You’ll achieve better illumination, shadow work and lighting, but at the cost of some performance at times.

Performance mode offers a steady 60fps at the result of losing some of the shine of quality mode. In all honesty though, the game looks stunning in both settings. Character design is superb with Hugh in a big weighty space suit whilst Diana reminds you of a child that comes across as slightly annoying but is actually useful. The art direction and presentation is top notch and you get that deep space feeling throughout.

Great Atmospheric Audio

Audio design in Pragmata is equally as strong as the visuals. Voice acting between Hugh and Diana had some of the standout moments for me. You can feel the personality between the two and hearing the fragility and potential vunerability of Diana almost makes you want to protect her. Sound effects really set the tone and atmosphere throughout the game. Weapons sound punchy and its satisfying when bullets smash against enemy AI. Hearing machinery hum and whirr, robots screeching as they come towards you and all the ambient noise you’d expect from space is nothing short of magnificent. Capcom have done a brilliant job in the sound department of the game.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot of fun to be had with Pragmata and I really enjoyed my twelve or so hours in the campaign. Completionists may exceed this playtime if you want to run through and find all the hidden collectibles. The blend of hacking and gunplay is extremely satisfying and when you stack that alongside Hugh and Diana’s intriguing partnership, it becomes a unique experience.

Capcom continues to fire on all cylinders when it comes to their roster of games. This is one you won’t want to miss if you enjoy third-person action adventure shooters. Whilst it does seem on the short side, I felt it was just about right and it really is quality over quantity here. If you fancy purchasing a copy on Xbox Series X/S for yourself, you can do so HERE.